Mathematical Sciences and IT

Editorial

• An Overview
• Destinations
• Types of Work
• Graduate Salaries
• References
• Further Reading
• Useful Web Sites

Salary and employment levels remain relatively high for those graduating from information technology and mathematical degrees. However, the picture is tarnished by comparatively high unemployment. The economic slowdown in the technology sector and ‘dot.bombs’ have taken their toll on the destinations of students six months after graduation, revealing that graduates with IT skills are no longer unsusceptible to prevailing market conditions. With an increase in the number of graduates from courses relating to IT, and employers’ requirement for technical knowledge and numeracy to be complemented with skills such as communication and teamwork, the competition for IT related roles is more intense than ever before.

Table 1 shows the first destination of IT and mathematics graduates in 1998 and 2001 six months after graduation. The table reveals that computing and mathematics have experienced a sharp fall in employment and a sharp increase in unemployment between these two periods. Computing in particular shows a 13.2% decline in the percentage going into employment, and an increase from 6.0% to 11.9% in those who are believed to be out of work.

At 72.6%, the percentage of computing graduates in employment six months after graduation in 2001 remains well above the percentages for mathematics (58%) and for all first degree subjects (67.7%). However, the unemployment rate (11.9%) also far exceeds the average for all subjects (6.3%), and this highlights the increasing competition among graduates for a diminishing number of IT positions. The increasing numbers of graduates applying for IT jobs is explained in part by the swelling range of courses on offer which are IT related.

In addition, as pointed out by the e-skills National Training Organisation (e-skills NTO, recently replaced by e-skills UK), 56% of graduate entrants to IT are from non-IT disciplines and this percentage has increased in recent years. While the percentage of mathematics graduates going on to further study in 2001 is virtually the same as in 1998, the percentage of IT graduates pursuing this option has increased from 6.5% in 1998 to 9.3% in 2001. While this is well below the average (18.4%) for all degree subjects it does indicate an incipient trend among IT graduates of acquiring niche skills that place them ahead of the crowd. This represents a change in attitude for a sector traditionally characterised by graduates entering directly into the labour market. According to The Independent newspaper, 40% of Logica’s intake now possess a masters in IT.

An examination of the types of work that graduates go into six months after graduation reveals that in 2001, 54.9% of IT graduates were working as information technology professionals. While this proportion is relatively high, it does represent a fall of 16.9% on the figure for year 2000. The decrease in the number of IT positions is further illustrated by attendant increases in the percentage of IT graduates going into clerical and secretarial occupations, or working as retail assistants, catering, waiting and bar staff – 14.6% in 2001 compared with 8.1% in 2000. Of the mathematics graduates, 37.6% were working as business and finance professionals, or business and financial associate professionals six months after graduation in 2001. In comparison, only 3.5% of computing graduates entered these types of professions.

In spite of the numerous initiatives introduced by the Government and most large IT companies such as IBM, the proportion of females participating in IT-related degrees and entering the IT industry remains relatively low at around 20%.

A survey, carried out for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Engineering Council (UK), interviewed 2,500 graduates six months after graduation and 1,000 graduates three years after graduation. The key findings show that IT graduates have higher employment and average pay levels compared with other graduates as a whole.

According to analysis of advertisements in the graduate vacancy bulletin Prospects Today, the average salary offered to mathematics and statistics graduates in the year to March 2002 was £18,894, significantly higher than the average salary of £17,515. Jobs asking for any computer related subject afforded starting salaries of £19,430 while those stipulating computer studies offered £19,730. In addition, employers which required graduates from any numerate discipline offered £19,489, also well above the average salary. These figures are shown in Figure 1.

• e-skills UK - The Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology
• The Independent
• IT Is Highway To Success, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) press release, 4 July 2002.

Detailed information about types of work, written by AGCAS higher education careers advisers, can be found in explore types of jobs. Occupations especially relevant to mathematics and IT graduates can be found under:

• Education
• Engineering
• Information Technology and Management Services
• Scientific Services

AGCAS publications are also available in your local higher education careers service, or from CSU, Tel: 0161 277 5271.

The Inside Careers Guide to Information Technology provides profiles for the key job roles in the sector as well as information on key recruiters. Published by Cambridge Market Intelligence Ltd, 2001. ISBN 1 86213 063 9

The Hobsons Career Guide provides a useful section on job hunting within IT. Published by Directory Publishers Association, 2002. ISBN 1 86017 8588

On this site for a wealth of careers related information by exploring types of jobs and options with your subject.

• Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS)
• National Computing Centre (NCC)
• British Interactive Media Association (BIMA)